Back To School Blues
by SaoirseParisa
Summary: "The last place she wanted to go was school. Yet today was the first day of school, and since she was sixteen now, she was to start her junior year of high school." Candace has to deal with her worst fear: school. And mean girls. But she manages to find some light in the dark tunnel called school. My entry for The Village Square's Back To School Prompt.


**A/N** : This is my entry for Shipper-Girl-27's Back To School prompt in the Village Square forum. Also, the story takes place several years before the farmer character moves into town, which is why I made Luna twelve years old, in case anyone gets confused.

* * *

Floral lace embroidery rounding out the hem of a dress. Cotton lace trim puffed into cuffs on the sleeves. The smooth, flat feel of velvet shining under fluorescent lighting. Filmy, thin silk dyed into a variety of colors. Ribbons and bows of all sizes and colors, big and small, dark and light, flouncy and sophisticated. The mechanical whir of the sewing machine as she pushed cloth underneath the needle. This was the world Candace Galliano lived in every day of her life. Not even the new, chilly autumn winds biting her skin could take her eyes off the sewing machine, her hands pushing the cloth ever so gently to make sure those stitches got in just right. Yes, the new dress she was sewing was coming out nicely. Just a few more touches and it would be absolutely perfect.

Doing this was far better than having to do what was to come in just a few minutes.

"Come on, Candace!" A younger girl of about twelve bounced into the room, her reddish pink curls flying all over the place with every movement. Candace shivered, feeling her sister's blue eyes fixate on her. "Don't you have to get ready for school? Hurry up!"

"In a minute, Luna…" Candace could only whisper, the shock from Luna's sudden appearance rattling her to the bone. Reluctantly, Candace turned off her sewing machine and stepped away from her desk. Her safe place. Her heart ached in pain with every step she walked away from her precious sewing desk, tucked safely away in a corner of the store. It was where she felt secure. Now she had to be away from it to go to the one place Candace never wanted to go.

School.

Just thinking about school made Candace wish time would just stop. The last place she wanted to go was school. Yet today was the first day of school, and since she was sixteen now, she was to start her junior year of high school. Tenor High School, located just a little ways from Harmonica Town by bus. For the most part, Candace was already prepared for school. She laid her clothes out on her bed the night before, her lunch box was full of food she would need for lunch, and she and her grandmother had gone shopping a few days before to buy plenty of notebooks, pencils, binders, and other necessities she may need. She had even received her schedule in the mail just last week. But in all honesty, Candace would rather stay at Sonata Tailoring than go anywhere near school.

Since Luna was only twelve, she only had to go to the middle school, which was close by, and she didn't need to be driven there. Luna could walk there all by herself, and she had done so many times before. Her classes didn't start until eight thirty, so there was no problem. Candace, on the other hand, stood at the bus stop with her grandmother, anxiously waiting for the bus to get here. Her grandmother could see her granddaughter's growing anxiety and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"It'll be alright, Candace," Her grandmother told her reassuringly. "This year will be better."

"...No it won't," Candace replied, her voice soft but bitter. She clutched her backpack tightly, so tight that her knuckles began to turn white. "It's been the same since I was eight. Nothing will change. Ever."

Her grandmother frowned. "Oh, Candace…" She shook her head regretfully. "I wish there was something I could do to help…"

Right after that, the big yellow bus arrived. "Alright. I'll see you here at three. Okay? Have a good day!" Her grandmother waved goodbye as Candace stepped onto the bus.

Candace simply waved back with a sad smile. For Candace, having a good day at school was about as likely as telling Toby Fisher to give up on fishing altogether. Absolutely impossible.

Walking into the bus was like having walked into a loud rock concert. Every single seat was occupied, and the cluster of kids her own age were either yelling or screaming at each other. The radio was blaring awful rap music at a high volume. All the noises mixed into an incomprehensible combination of sounds that assaulted Candace's ears. She looked around for an empty seat. There just had to be one. Unfortunately, only one seat was available, and it was so small she could only sit on the very edge of the chair. The other seat was taken up by another kid, who was admittedly on the rotund side. He took up all of his own seat, and most of Candace's. She didn't dare ask him to move down a bit. She didn't want to be rude, and the boy didn't really seem to notice nor care.

All throughout the bus ride, Candace's hands formed a protective barrier over her ears, blocking out all the loud noises that threatened to assail her being. The effort was futile, as the screaming and the blaring music continued throughout the ride, not intent on stopping anytime soon. The bus ride seemed to go on forever. Thankfully, the bus arrived at Tenor High School, and Candace sprinted out of there as soon as the doors opened. She managed to find her homeroom and the rooms where her other classes were held just fine, but nothing of note really happened on the first day. All the teachers did was introduce themselves, go over some lesson plans for the next few days, and get acquainted with the kids via checking attendance. Candace did receive some syllabi, letting her know which assignments needed to be done by which day, which week, and which holiday.

Homework and assignments she didn't mind. Problems like that were a breeze to her. Studying was the only part about school that she liked. She got to learn new things, even if science wasn't exactly the subject she was good at.

Her lunch period was at 11:30 AM. According to her schedule, she had sixth lunch, which was her sixth period. Her school had three separate lunch periods: fourth, sixth, and eighth. Candace's was at what was considered the normal lunch time hour. Like on the bus, the cafeteria was a maelstrom of noise that did way too good of a job of making her feel trapped. Kids yelling, screaming, or talking way too loud at each other. Smells and scents mixing into something completely noisome. Was that chili sauce she smelled just now? Or was it soggy meat sauce on spaghetti? Candace didn't know, and at this point, she couldn't tell. All she wanted to do was just sit down somewhere, eat, and work on her embroidery.

Finally, she found an empty table. Too bad it was a messy one. A paper plate was still on the table with a half-eaten sandwich still on it, complete with plastic utensils scattered about. Candy wrappers dotted the table, and several green beans were left behind. Candace grimaced at the sight. Did people really have to be so messy? Why couldn't they clean up after themselves? Candace thanked her lucky stars she brought napkins with her, so she took it upon herself to throw the trash away, cleaning the table up in the process.

' _Goodness...I just went through five periods of classes and I already want to go home…'_ Candace thought as she finished her herb cookies and mint candy. She never did understand why most people she knew hated the taste of mints so much. Mints cooled her mouth down with their strong, icy taste, refreshing her breath and soothing her stomach. Mints were healthy for people.

Thankfully, after lunch period, the day went by much faster, and easier. By the time 2:30 rolled around, she was one of the first people on the bus, and she found a comfortable seat in front right next to the doors. She got to watch the scenery run right by her as the bus drove through the county. Trees and bushes looked like blurry green balls of fuzz as they flew right by her window. The blue sky outside the window didn't change one bit, and the clouds seemed to actually stay in place as the bus moved, even as it turned the occasional corner.

It took no time at all for the bus to make it to Harmonica Town, and even less time for Candace to return to Sonata Tailoring. Home at last. She survived the first day unscathed. Of course, the first thing she did was return to her desk and finishing her project from this morning. As soon as her hands touched the unfinished cloth in the sewing machine, any anxiety and doubts that lingered in her heart were banished into oblivion. Here she was, back in her heaven, her safe place. The mechanical whir of the sewing machine soothed her ears as she pushed the cloth underneath the needle once more.

"I'll finish you right up," Candace whispered softly, her cheeks red with joy as she pushed the cloth further. "And you'll be absolutely perfect."

Just before dinner, Candace was finished. She pulled out a long, light purple skirt that was about the same length as Candace's skirt, going all the way down to her ankles. Candace beamed at the sight of her creation. The delicate little purple flowers circling the hem, the green stems giving it a flair of color that made it look very spring-like...it was perfect.

"Candace! Dinner's ready!" Her grandmother called from the kitchen.

"Coming!"

Candace hadn't been in the dining room for five seconds before Luna started prattling on about her school day. The younger girl's face was aglow with joy, topped with a smile that stretched far across her face. The sight of it was a bit too much for Candace to look at. The blue haired girl simply ate her food as she listened to Luna talk.

"So I met this girl, Yiness Cohen, and she's super nice!" Luna announced, barely even touching her dinner, she was so absorbed in her talk. "She likes sewing her own clothes and making embroidery! She's trying to start a fashion club at school! I offered to join and help her out! She's gonna be president, and I'm gonna be co-president! She's even asking if I want to come over to her house sometime!"

Their grandmother flashed a bright smile. "Goodness! Sounds like you had a blast on your first day."

"I know, right?! I don't think any first day of school I've had has been this good!" Luna replied. "Also, I absolutely love my new math teacher, Mr. Weaver! He's sooooo nice!"

Candace shivered as she felt her grandmother's eyes turn towards her. "How about you, Candace? How was school?"

Of all the questions in the world she hated answering, it was that one. How was school? It was so simple for others such as Luna. But for Candace, answering that was like trying to show off an unfinished dress to a huge audience of people, whose judgments would result in either glamorous fame or unending infamy. Plus, for all Candace knew, her grandmother wouldn't be satisfied with any answer she had and would pester her about friends, teachers, etc. But not answering would be rude, so she did.

"...It was alright," She whispered, keeping her voice low. Then she ate some of her peas.

"Nobody was picking on you, right?" Luna asked.

Candace shook her head.

"Good! You tell me if someone starts picking on you! I'll knock'em dead!"

As happy as Candace was about her sister's proclamation, there was no possible way Luna would be able to help at all. Luna was only twelve and in middle school. Candace was sixteen and in high school. A huge gap in between ages. Luna wouldn't be able to see or hear anything that would go on in high school unless she put a hidden camera or tape recorder on one of Candace's possessions, like her sweater or backpack. Besides, high schoolers were on a different level from middle schoolers.

"Sure," Candace said as she finished some carrots.

Thankfully, both Luna and her grandmother had the decency to let the matter rest. Candace spent the rest of her night knitting some stuffed animals, which was always bliss for her. Maybe she could keep one with her as a good luck charm, safe in her backpack. Candace nodded to herself as she held a tiny, unfinished plushie in her hands. It was a white, snowman-like creature with two black button eyes. Candace had some more material for it in her bag, so she could work on it during study hall since she didn't have much homework tonight.

She hoped school wouldn't try to make her miserable.

* * *

It was on the third day of school that Candace's greatest fear threatened to come true.

So far, school hadn't been as terrifying as Candace had feared. Her teachers seemed nice and friendly enough, and the lessons were only getting started, so she had no trouble studying. Lunch period had arrived, and Candace was happy to be able to finally eat some lunch. She looked down at her left hand...to find nothing. Candace stopped in front of the cafeteria entrance. Where was her lunch box? Candace looked all around herself. No lunch box anywhere. Fear suddenly paralyzed her, wracking her brain and making it race a million miles an hour.

"Hey!"

Not even hearing another girl's voice behind her was enough to pull her out of her mind.

"Hello?! Move it, will you?!"

This time, Candace whirled around in surprise, her heart racing a mile a minute. Where did that voice come from? The source of the voice turned out to be a girl her own age standing behind her with a cross, annoyed look on her face. The girl in question had deep, curly red hair and light brown eyes that were narrowed into slits, staring right into Candace. Accompanying her were two other girls, who didn't look nearly as annoyed and irritated. In fact, Candace could see from their furrowed brows that they looked quite perplexed. A new fear suddenly set in.

"Ummm...is something wrong?" Candace asked, her small voice shaking.

The red haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Uh, you're in the way! Can you, like, move?"

"Oh!" It didn't take long for Candace to realize what was wrong. She was standing right in front of the cafeteria entrance, blocking their way. "I'm sorry. Here," She moved right out of the way.

Strangely, it didn't seem to satisfy the girl one bit. "Are you deaf or something? Or maybe brain dead?" She asked, her voice full of venom. Crossing her arms, the girl leaned closer. "I've been standing behind you for five minutes!"

Candace froze again. This time, the new fear crawled into her system, paralyzing her. Oh no...it was just as she feared.

"Come on, Zoey," A bespectacled girl with black pigtails put a hand on Zoey's shoulder. "Quit it. We're here now, so let's go in! We gotta get those tater tots before everyone else does!"

Thankfully, the trio of girls went right inside, ending a potential confrontation. But Candace could still feel her heart racing, like it was about to explode at any moment. Just seeing that girl-Zoey-made images flash through Candace's mind. Shadows of all shapes and sizes laughing at her, reveling in her misery. Clothes and embroidery ripped to shreds or thrown into mud or tomato sauce. Notebooks with missing pages ripped out, or covered with insults and slander written in black marker. Candace shook her head, pushing those awful memories out of her mind. No, those won't happen. Not again.

It was then that Candace finally remembered: she had her lunch box with her last period. She might have left it at her desk in math class! Candace rushed to the classroom to see if her lunch box was still there. Much to her relief, it was, so back to the cafeteria she went. But a strange feeling of unease was in the air, suffocating her, even as she found a nice, clean table and ate her food peacefully. It didn't take long for Candace to find out why: the girls she ran into before were sitting two tables away from her. Zoey had her eyes on her. Odious, scornful eyes that looked as though they were ready to declare Candace public enemy number one. Candace tried to keep her eyes on her own food, hoping what happened earlier was just a random encounter, nothing more. Surely, she wouldn't see Zoey again after this!

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

Biology class was Candace's final class for the day. Candace had scanned the room, getting a look at all of her classmates...and sucked in a sharp but still inaudible breath when she saw a familiar head of red hair sitting in front. Zoey's hair. ' _Zoey's in my biology class?!'_ Candace's blue eyes shrunk. She couldn't believe her eyes. They shared the same biology class. Not only that, Zoey's two friends were also in class with her, though in different seats scattered around the room. The teacher, a large man named Mr. Linnaeus, stood before the chalkboard, going over the cell.

"Alright, class. We're all familiar with cells. Tell me some cells you know of," Mrs. Linnaeus scanned the classroom for students willing to volunteer. Nobody said a word.

On impulse, Candace's hand suddenly flew into the air.

"Yes, Candace?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on her. Eyes staring at her, expecting both the worst and the best from her. Expecting her to do something stupid so they could laugh at her. Candace could hear non-existent laughter ringing in her ears. But she kept her gaze focused on the chalkboard.

"There are red blood cells…" Candace began, her voice still low but audible enough for the teacher to hear. "White blood cells, cancer cells, and...skin cells?" She had heard in a science class in middle school that skin had cells of its own, but she wasn't sure.

Mrs. Linnaeus smiled. "Good. Those are very good examples."

Candace blushed, pulling her hand down. But she was able to get a glance at the front of the classroom. Zoey was staring right at her, eyes narrowed into odious slits. Candace shrunk into her seat. ' _Just great. The second I answer a teacher's question, someone's looking at me like I have snails all over me…'_ She hated it. She hated everything about Zoey's reaction. She had received such angry glares many times before over the years, and she never did get used to them. Other kids named other cells-one boy had the audacity to mention sperm cells. The class got a good laugh out of that-and science continued until the final bell rang.

She had to admit, one good thing about the end of school was that she could stand by the curb on one side and wait for the bus to come all by herself. Her assigned bus was on the right side of the school, near the parking lot, far away from the loud, bustling crowds that threatened to swallow her whole. She would be the first one there, and when the bus would arrive and open its doors, she would be the first one inside, allowing her to find the perfect seat. At least that part of school was bliss.

"What the hell, Zoey?!"

Out of nowhere, the sound of yelling pulled Candace out of her dreamful reverie. She whirled around, wondering what that yelling was and where it came from. Standing about ten feet away were Zoey and one of her girl friends, the one with the glasses and black pigtails. The girl held a hand to her cheek, like she had been slapped, and Zoey was standing before her, face scrunched up and blazing hot with undiluted rage.

"You freaking hit me!" The bespectacled girl bellowed.

"That's what you get for making moves on my ex-boyfriend, Trini Valdez!" Zoey roared like she was a ferocious lion about to leap on her prey and swallow it whole.

Candace's hands flew to her mouth. Zoey really did hurt her friend! All because she talked to a boy? By Sephia, she hated it when girls her age made trivial things into huge deals. She never understood what the big deal was about dating boys and then harassing other girls for even talking to them, innocently or not. Good thing she never cared much about all that drama. She didn't need that in her life. But hitting a girl over it? And said girl being one of her friends? That was crossing a line in her book.

"Why do you care?!" Trini yelled back. "You broke up with him half a year ago, and I wasn't making moves on him! I asked him his sister was doing okay, that's all! Seriously, stop acting like you own him! He's not your toy!"

Unfortunately for Trini, Zoey wasn't having any of it. She continued to yell and bellow, her arms moving all over the place. "Josh would never waste his valuable time on a fat cow like you anyway! You're nothing but trash! Don't act like you're so special! I know the only reason you hang out with me is so you can be popular! Well, guess what?" Every word Zoey screamed was dripping with venom. "You're a pathetic waste of human life!"

Fat cow? Trash? Pathetic? Waste of human life? To say Candace was appalled would be the understatement of the millennium. No one deserved to be degraded like that. Nobody. Candace knew this from experience. She herself had the same vile insults thrown at her over things that didn't need to be made into a big fuss. Here Zoey was, tearing her apart and denigrating someone who was supposed to be her friend over something as trivial as a guy. A strange fire suddenly began burning in her heart, blazing hot and bright. Trini didn't deserve this. She didn't do anything. Candace didn't know her, but that didn't make not doing anything a viable option at this point.

Not once did she think of running away. Even though the logical side of her brain told her that doing this would make her Zoey's number one enemy, she didn't listen. Candace marched over to the girls and stood right in between them. Zoey actually backed away two steps in surprise. This time, it was Candace shooting Zoey the stern, stoic, stone hard glare.

"Leave her alone," Not once did she stutter, nor did her voice tremble with fear. Candace knew that if she showed any sign of weakness, Zoey would pounce on it and turn the tables. Then again, it wouldn't make much difference either way. "You should never talk to someone like that."

Zoey's anger didn't dissipate. "Hey! You're that weird girl who dresses like an old lady in my biology class!" Not surprisingly, Zoey was quick to throw insults at her, particularly at Candace's choice of clothing. "Why don't you mind your own business and scram?!"

Before Candace could say anything, Trini stepped out from behind her. "Honestly, all that stuff you're saying about me describes you more than anything. You're the one who's pathetic, freaking out over a guy you don't even care about anymore! Josh was smart to break up with you!"

By some miracle, Candace's bus arrived right at that moment. Not wanting to get caught up in Zoey's wrath, Candace made a beeline for the bus. "Wait! Wait up!" Trini called out to her, but Candace had already sat down, so she didn't hear it, even with the bus's doors being open.

All throughout the ride home, Candace thought of nothing and no one but Zoey. She was sure this single act of bravery would be her downfall. Zoey would brand Candace as public enemy number one, and go out of her way to make her miserable. Candace sobbed into her backpack. It seemed as though she was some kind of magnet for those types of girls. Girls who sought to gain power and feel good about themselves by bullying and denigrating anyone who so much as talked to them or dared to question them. It was always the same. Every school year, Candace was always unfortunate enough to be someone's target. She didn't have to do anything. Someone would just pick her out and make her miserable, and nothing teachers or other staff did would convince them to stop.

' _I was a fool to think this school year would be different…'_ Candace kicked herself for jumping into that brouhaha.

More memories flooded her mind. Girls shouting the absolute worst insults at her over things like talking to a guy they liked or wearing her favorite clothes. Her shoes having insults written on them in black marker. Kids mocking her by talking like old ladies, complete with tongue-heavy, slurred ways of speaking and imitating old lady voices. Some had even hated her for simply getting good grades, thereby deigning her as some stuck-up girl who thought she was hot stuff. Candace couldn't understand. Had she done something to deserve all of that, and for so many years, even now?

Was it ever going to stop?

Even as Candace got home, she could only see a school future full of darkness. Pitch black, with no light in sight. Little did she know that a light was soon to appear in her school life.

* * *

If there was one class that Candace liked, it was study hall. Her study hall room was quiet, with walls mostly made of nothing but chalkboards and wooden flooring that would squeak and groan if someone walked on it. It helped that her study hall teacher, Mr. Rohovie, was nice and pleasant enough, but not to the point where he would let kids just do whatever they wanted. Just the other day, Candace saw him gently scolding another girl for stealing another student's math homework. In some ways, Candace wished she could be like him: firm and unwilling to bend to someone's will without fear. Plus, she could use her time to either do her homework or work on her sewing.

Today, Candace decided on the latter, her fingers pulling the needle in and out from a bear's head. She had been working on the bear for a while, but had forgotten the poor thing because school was always on her mind. This time, she wasn't going to put it off any longer. It was time to finish the little bear. Good thing she only had two more parts of it to work on: the head and one of its ears. The bear was small enough to fit into both hands, enough so that any teacher wouldn't make too much of a fuss about it. Candace could tell Mr. Rohovie didn't have a problem with her sewing in class. Sewing wasn't playing, and no lessons were going on, so Candace felt safe in her hobby.

Oddly enough, her hobby did get someone's attention.

"Oh wow! Did you make that all by yourself?"

A sweet, friendly voice pulled Candace out of her reverie. She looked up, seeing a girl her own age with short brown hair and matching eyes looking down at the bear in delighted awe. The girl wore a simple, sun colored dress that was warm enough to protect against the frigid autumn winds. More than anything, however, she couldn't take her eyes off of Candace's bear, her cheeks were red with delight.

"Yes, I did. He's not done yet, though," Candace whispered.

"It's sooooo cute!" The girl cooed sweetly.

In that instant, Candace could feel a warm, welcoming atmosphere about this girl. Her eyes and smile were sweet enough, and she did seem genuinely interested in Candace's work. The girl pulled a chair out and sat down next to her, her chin resting in her hands as she watched Candace sew. Strangely enough, Candace didn't have that suffocating feeling she always had whenever people approached her.

"I take it that's a teddy bear?"

"...Yes."

"Wow. You're really good. I can't sew for the life of me. Oh!" The girl had a revelation. "Sorry. I never even told you my name, did I? I'm Renee. Renee Borowski."

Candace flashed a smile in her direction. "...Candace Galliano."

Renee's smile didn't fade one bit. "Nice to meet'cha!"

"Whoa. That IS really good!" Another voice pulled the girls out from their heads. Much to Candace's surprise, it was the girl from yesterday, Trini Valdez. A wave of relief washed over Candace. Trini looked and seemed okay. She didn't see any visible marks on her body, so it was safe to say that maybe Zoey left her alone after that incident. Or Trini managed to get away unscathed. Like Renee, Trini sat down near Candace's desk, her eyes gleaming with a desire to see Candace's work.

"Thank you," Candace whispered.

"You ought to teach me how to make plushies some time. My sister just loves those things."

For once, Candace felt as though all was right with the world. Here she was in study hall, and already she had made two potential new friends! She couldn't stop smiling throughout the entire period, even as she finished her stuffed bear. Joy and bliss had completely taken over her being. No longer did she think school was going to be nothing but pitch black, non-stop misery and suffering. Maybe there was hope for a happy future in school yet, something Candace had never thought possible! She could actually find reason to enjoy school now.

Of course, Candace wasn't so naive as to think this would cure her hatred for school. There was always someone who would try to ruin it.

At the end of the school day, Candace couldn't wait to find the curb and wait for the bus to arrive. She had so much she wanted to tell Luna and her grandmother about Renee and Trini, and about how much she liked her new study hall teacher and art teacher. Plus, her homework was easy as pie, so she decided to try working on it right as she got home, that way she could get it done and over with. She could make time for doing embroidery and more sewing later in the day. Already, she thought of the perfect thing she could make for Renee, especially now that she learned that Renee lived in Flute Fields, right near Harmonica Town, so she was fairly close by. Just the thought of having Renee so close by was enough for Candace to smile so much that her face started to hurt. She didn't mind, though.

"Hey! Little old lady!"

So deep was Candace drowning in happiness that she didn't hear the odious voice calling out to her from right behind her. Then she felt something hard strike her in her lower back. That got her attention. "Ow!" Candace yelped, whirling around to find Zoey right behind her. Zoey, whose narrow eyes were bright with scorn. "Did you just kick me?" Candace knew that feeling all too well. It wasn't the first time someone had kicked her in the back for whatever reason.

Zoey had no sympathy for the blue haired girl she kicked. She crossed her arms and kept her eyes on Candace the whole time. "Took you long enough to notice me. God, you _must_ be deaf or something."

Ignoring her comments, Candace simply rubbed her throbbing back. What did Zoey want this time? Candace really didn't want to deal with her.

"First you get in my personal business, then you just up and steal one of my friends from me?" Zoey insinuated.

Steal one of her friends? Candace thought Zoey was maybe referring to Trini. But she couldn't help but internally laugh at that ridiculous idea. Nobody stole anyone. Candace didn't let any fear show on her face. She kept herself stoic and calm.

"I didn't steal Trini from you," Candace told her, voice cool and steady. "She became my friend of her own volition. You're the one who drove her away, what with the way you were treating her," As much as the logical side of her feared what telling the truth would entail, this time, Candace didn't listen. Whether Candace told her the truth or not, she could tell Zoey seemed like the type of person who wouldn't listen otherwise or would believe only what she herself wanted to believe.

"Oh, shut up!" Zoey barked. Candace recoiled, taking a step back. "Trini's only hanging out with you out of pity! She doesn't actually want to be your friend, so quit deluding yourself! Besides, don't you think she deserves better than to hang out with a blue mouse who dresses like an old lady?" It was then that Zoey noticed a piece of white, embroidered lace in Candace's hand. Suddenly, Zoey's hand reached out, swiping the lace right out from Candace's hand.

"Hey!" Candace lunged toward Zoey's hand, but the red haired girl was too quick on the draw. Candace nearly tripped and fell. "I made that!"

"What's the matter, old lady? Lose something?"

"Give it back!" Candace yelled, attempting to get it back once more.

Again, Zoey evaded the girl with the blue braids with adept speed. Zoey tapped her chin as she eyed the lace in her hands. "Hmmmm. Nope! I think I'll keep it! If you want it so badly, come and get it, old lady!"

Candace knew this was futile. She was never a good runner, and already, Zoey was sprinting away from the curb, laughing out loud. Then, she saw something unexpected. Suddenly, a yellow blur ran up and grabbed Zoey by the wrist, stopping her from running any further. Candace ran closer to get a better look. It was Renee, staring Zoey down with a fierce glare of her own.

"Fork over that lace right now, Zoey Roberts!" Renee demanded, her voice firm and leaving no room for nonsense.

"Let go of me, you gross, dirty farm girl!" Zoey snapped back.

"I'll let go if you give Candace's lace back."

"Mind your own business!"

Zoey's nostrils flared as she attempted to wriggle out of Renee's grip. Unfortunately for her, Renee's small, delicate hand had an iron grip, and her wrist refused to come out. "I can easily break your wrist into two," Renee growled. "I'm stronger than I look, you know. Now drop that lace right now, or you'll be getting a special one-way ticket to the Oboe Hospital!"

No other words were exchanged for a full minute, even as Trini arrived on the scene. Seeing that nothing else could get her out of this mess, Zoey opened her hand, letting the lace float onto the grass. With that, Renee finally released Zoey from her grip. Candace was quick to take the lace off the ground, just in case Zoey was pulling their leg and tried to grab it again.

"Fine! Keep your stupid lace!" Zoey yelled like a petulant child. "I don't want that ugly piece of trash anyway! Not even I can make it look good!" With that, she stomped away from the curb, grumbling and whining to herself.

Candace looked down at her lace. It had some prominent wrinkles from being balled up in Zoey's hand, but other than that, it was unharmed. Not a single scratch or rip in sight. She held it to her chest, overcome with joy. For once, something actually went right.

"Sorry about that," Trini told her, eyebrows furrowed in remorse. "I don't know what I was thinking being friends with someone like her. She shouldn't have been so mean to you, Candace."

"It's alright. Really," Candace replied, her voice soft and dreamy.

"I'm just glad I got her when I did," Renee explained. "Yeah, I saw the whole thing. You're not hurt, are you?" She asked, worried.

Candace shook her head before sending a grateful smile in Renee's direction. "I'm fine. Thank you...for helping me."

It was Renee's turn to smile right back. "You're welcome! We should hang out some time! I'd love it if you could come over to Horn Ranch! We have lots of cool animals like cows, sheep, and goats!"

"No way!" Trini interrupted. "Come over to my house, Candace! You ought to show my sister how to make those stuffed animals! She could really learn a thing or two from you!"

No words could describe Candace's happiness at that moment. Finally, she had something to look forward to in school. She had friends in school! Real friends! The dark future she envisioned slowly began to turn a little brighter. Like earlier before, so overcome was she with pure joy that she kept smiling throughout the whole day. Even Luna and her grandmother were touched by the contagiousness of Candace's sweet smile.

"My, someone's in a good mood today," Their grandmother noticed it during dinner time.

"Yeah," Luna chimed in. "You look like you just won a fashion show."

"I...I made some new friends…" Candace confessed.

Never before did such words sound so heavenly. To say Luna and her grandmother were overjoyed would be an understatement. "That's wonderful, Candace! I'm so proud of you!" Luna exclaimed.

"Indeed! You should invite them over sometime," her grandmother cajoled. "I'd love to meet them."

Candace couldn't wait. For a long time, she thought school was terrible. Now, school didn't seem so bad, especially now that she made two new friends. She couldn't wait to spend more time with them now. The back to school blues had disappeared, like they had never plagued Candace's soul in the first place. Suddenly, her school life became aglow with light.

* * *

1: The surname I gave Candace comes from the famous British-Spanish fashion designer, John Galliano, who was the head designer for French fashion companies such as Givenchy and Christian Dior before making his own label. Plus, I thought naming her after someone like Coco Chanel or Karl Lagerfeld would be a bit too obvious.

2: Renee's surname, Borowski, comes from Margaret "Mae" Borowski, the main character of an Indie video game called Night In The Woods. I thought about naming her Renee Andrews, but Renee Borowski had a nicer ring to it, so I axed Andrews.

3: The biology teacher's name, Linnaeus, comes from the Swedish scientist/botanist/physician/zoologist, Carl Linnaeus (or Carl von Linne after his ennoblement), who gave biology its name in 1736. He formalized the modern system of naming organisms called binomial nomenclature and was said to be the father of modern taxonomy.

4\. The study hall teacher is named after a teacher I used to have in my senior year of high school. Honestly, he was the only teacher I ever really liked in all of my high school years, not only because he always helped me with my math homework (I always struggled with math), but because he actually liked anime, manga, and video games, just like I do! I still miss him a lot and wonder how he's doing.

5\. Zoey Roberts and Trini Valdez are OCs I made up. I might use them in future AP fics, but I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it a little more.


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